CAMP EVANGELISTA, Cagayan de Oro City – with 4ID’s ‘no let-up’ campaign against the CPP-NPA-NDF or Communist Terrorist Group (CTG), various units of the 4ID continue to intensify its focused military operations resulting in three (3) separate clashes in Caraga region on September 21 and 22, 2021.
Troops of 23rd Infantry Battalion (23IB) under the operational control of the 402nd Infantry Brigade figured in a 5-minute encounter against more or less 10 CPP-NPA Terrorists (CNTs) believed to be remnants of the dismantled Guerilla Front 4A, North Central Mindanao Regional Committee (NCMRC) led by Jelan Pinakilid alias BAKING at Sitio Bugta, Barangay Guinabsan, Buenavista, Agusan del Norte around 6:45AM yesterday, September 22, 2021.
Said troops overran a temporary hideout and seized from the scampering CNTs 1 AK47 Rifles with 5 AK47 magazines and live ammunitions, 1 Anti-Personnel Mine (APM) and 8 sacks of assorted supplies.
Meanwhile, in Surigao del Sur, focused military operations of the 75th Infantry Battalion and 36th Infantry Battalion under 401st Infantry Brigade and 901st Infantry Brigade, delivered another setback to the crumbling CTG in the area.
Major General Romeo S Brawner Jr, Commander of the 4ID, disclosed that 3 CNTs were killed and 5 high powered firearms were seized in 2 separate encounters on September 21, 2021 against more or less 10 CNTs of Platoon 2, Guerilla Front 30 (GF30) under Noel Tumarlas Alacre alias Megan at the hinterland of Sitio Agsam, Brgy Cabas-an, Cantilan and against more or less 5 CNTs of Sandatahang Yunit Pampropaganda (SYP) Platoon of GF19 in KM 22, Brgy Caras-an, Tago all of Surigao del Sur.
Seized also by the troops of 75IB in the Caras-an encounter site were 1 M16 Rifle, 1 Cal .22 Rifle, 1 APM, 50 meters electrical wire, 2 blasting caps, 2 meters connecting wire and 70 rounds of 7.56mm live ammunitions was also found at the encounter site. A cadaver of 1 CNT whose identity is yet to be determined as of press time.
On the other hand, troops of 36IB found 2 cadavers of unidentified CNTs and seized 1 M16A1 Rifle, 1 AR18 Rifle, 1 Carbine Rifle, 4 backpacks, 2 Nokia Cell phones, medical paraphernalia, personal belongings, and other subversive documents.
In his statement, MGen Brawner Jr commended the Diamond troopers on their continuous pursuit of the CTG. All line units will relentlessly hunt down CTG members and leaders as they must be held accountable for the injustice and suffering they brought upon the people.
“We will not give the CPP-NPA-NDF breathing space until they will be pushed to the edge and will have no other option but to abandon the armed struggle. We assure them that the long arm of justice will eventually caught up with them. Let these unfortunate deaths serve as stern warning to those remaining CNTs to stop pestering our communities and leave our people alone”, MGen Brawner Jr said.
“On the other hand, while we push for the total defeat of the CTG, your 4ID will continue to partner with different local government agencies and local government units for the implementation of peace and development initiatives in the geographically isolated and disadvantage areas. The government, thru its whole-of-nation approach, needs to continuously deliver basic services and development projects and continue to campaign against CTG recruitment and extortion activities in several fora to deter support of local town folks to the CTG”, MGen Brawner Jr added.
4ID launched a “no let-up” focused military operations to force the CTG to lay down their firearms and return to a peaceful path. For the month of September 2021 alone, a total of 17 government initiated encounters have already transpired in the 4ID AOR resulting in the neutralization of 43 CTG members and leaders and seizure of 63 high powered and low powered firearms with 8 CTG hideouts tracked and overran.
